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User blog:Pygmy Hippo 2/Inuit Raider vs. Maasai Warrior (Collab with Kazanshin)
Hunting is one of the most controversial activities in current times but in the past, it was a method of feeding one's entire people. Ancient hunters would have to go up against dangerous carnivores like big cats and bears with spears and bows but before that, they had to track the things and figure out where they went. The best hunters were often some of the best warriors in their areas and these two claimed the Arctic and East Africa as their territories. In my first collaboration with Kazanshin, it's time to make an idea of his a reality and help out the DHRI. The Inuit Raiders, the Arctic hunters who took down polar bears and fought many wars against the Cree! The Maasai Warriors, the African hunters who became famous for killing lions and dominate other tribes! Who is Deadliest? Inuit Raider Inuit Raider= The Inuit are native people of the arctic regions of North America, distinct from First Nations and other Native Americans by their uniq ue lifestyle and closer genetics to Siberian Asians. It is thought that they came to the American continent around 4000 years ago in the form of their ancestors, the Thule, and split from them around 1000 CE. Very early in their history,m they aggressively displaced the native Dorset people and entered in brutal conflict with southern native people like the Algonquians and the Cree, who they have been recorded fighting many times by European traders. They are especially known for their skills in whaling, fishing and hunting and were one of the important trading partners of the fur-loving Hudson Bay Company, trading bear and wolf pelts with them in exchange for firearms and steel tools. |-|Close Range= War Club:The Inuit used a variety of clubbing instruments both in war and in battle. Their favorite was arguably a flat club made of whale bone, shaped almost like a blade for maximum damage and around 23 inches in length. This seems to have been quite a prestigious weapon, as it was the main arm of the “Strong Men”, elite warriors of Inuit society who used these clubs to whack arrows out of the air. |-|Mid range= Unak:The Unak was arguably the most popular weapon amongst the Inuit, right alongside the bow and arrow. Around 180 cm in length, it was a versatile, simple to use and deadly weapon that could be thrown then retrieved with a rope or thrusted in combat. Being made for whaling, it was capable of penetrating the thick blubber of the creatures and the rope was strong enough to keep them from escaping the whalers. For this battle, it will have a steel point from contact with europeans. |-|Long range= Pititsik:The Pititsik was the special cable-backed bow of the Inuit. It was built out of caribou antlers with a string of elastic animal tendons, but most importantly with the shaft reinforced with a cable wrapping which made it stronger and more robust. This gave the bow superior strength to common self bows and allowed the Inuit to become successful hunters and warriors. It fired ivory, copper and iron tipped arrows that could penetrate the slat armor of their Cree rivals. |-|Special= Savitsuk Snow Knife:Snow knives are knives used by the Inuit to craft igloos. However, it appears long bladed knives of ivory, whale bone and later, and in this case, iron were carried as weapons and signs of status by chieftains. Around 60 cm in length, these veritable short swords were used in slashing and thrusting attacks that were easily deadliest than most weapons of the Americas. |-|Armor= Ivory lamellar armor and wooden shield:The Inuit were famous for their use of lamellar armor very similar in style to Asian armor, likely having brought the knowledge when they crossed the Bering Strait. Made of overlapping pieces of bone and walrus ivory, these suits of armor could block arrows and spears and were one of the many reasons the Inuit were feared by their enemies. Alongside the armor, the Inuit wielded medium-sized wooden shields covered and reinforced with sealskin to defend themselves against arrows. Maasai Warrior Maasai Warrior= The Maasai are native people of the Eastern parts of Africa and possibly one of the most famous along with staying in the same areas to this day that they lived in the past. One hypothesis states that they are descendants of a lost Roman legion although they state in their oral history that they originated in Northeastern Kenya and went south in the 15th century before displacing and assimilating tribes when they moved to a large area including northern Kenya and central Tanzania. They raised cattle but their warriors moved throughout Kenya to raid for cattle, defeating the Kwavi people and depopulating the "Wakuafi wilderness", and threaten the city of Mombasa on the coast. It took the British army to drive them out of their lands and they are perhaps most famous for their rite of passage of killing lions. |-|Close Range= Rungu Club:The Maasai used this clubbing instrument for hunting and warfare purposes. The typical version was a long naarow hard wood from a tamboti tree shaft with a heavy knob at the end that could be used for melee combat as a baton or throwing purposes at around 20 inches in length. This was an important emblem for young Maasai morans to show their status and they preferred the latter method of attack. |-|Mid range= Lion Spear:The Lion Spear is arguably the most iconic Maasai weapon that was used with a technique to kill the mighty beasts. Around 162 cm in length, the point would be dug in and the iron head pointed at the leaping lion to impale them. Every warrior killed a lion in this way while protecting cattle and the weapon could be used against invaders with equal effectiveness, being able to kill with a front torso wound, although throwing it wasn't a good idea as there was only a wood shaft with nothing to retrieve it. |-|Long range= Maasai Bow:The Maasai Bow is less popular than its peers but still a vital weapon in the hands of warriors and hunters. While contemporary records are practically non-existent, similar modern creations are made out of Lauwou wood with dried ligaments attached by cow hide for a weapon that's only powerful when combined with a quick pulling and pushing motion. These still have enough power to kill lions and arrowheads were made from metal, likely iron, and possibly dipped in Acocanthera tree poison. |-|Special= Seme Knife:Seme knives are knives used by the Maasai for clearing brush and butchering cattle. These leaf-shaped spatulate blade knives made of steel were one of the first weapons carried by morans and served as another status symbol. Around 50 cm in length, these were double-edged to make a versatile blade that was a worthy sidearm for the African warriors. |-|Armor= Buffalo Hide Shield and Leather Garments:The Maasai were famous for their hide shields, much like other African tribes, and they used these for warfare and hunting purposes. Made of buffalo hide sewn onto a wooden frame, these shields could have markings for showing warrior's bravery in battle and were likely used for deflecting blows rather than taking them like similar shields from the continent. Alongside the shield, the Maasai wore extremely light body armor in leather garments that was used more for clothing than actual protection. X-Factors Training:Little is known about the training of the Inuit in particular, but the related Chukchi, who aften warred against the Inuit, were infamous for their harsh training: youth were trained as warriors by dragging heavy logs, and training with weapons. What is known about the Inuit themselves is that, because of their hunter gatherer lifestyle, members of the community had to learn how to hunt and fish at a young age. Children would follow their fathers, observe them hunt and quickly learn to do the same. They would also compete in wrestling, high-kicking and ear-pulling, which built up strength, agility and pain tolerance respectively. Once they were adults, training came mostly in the form of raiding and hunting experience. Maasai warriors also similarly trained by hunting and raiding instead of formal combat training. Youth were trained as hunters from a young age, and every man had to go through the rite of passage of killing a lion on his own before he was accepted as an adult. Hunting gave a man the necessary strength, speed and accuracy to use in battle, as well as courage. As adults, they would take part in cattle raiding against enemy tribes because of their belief that their god, Ngai, had created all cattle in the world. Experience:The Inuit fought against many different people throughout the Arctic and sub-arctic. Opponents included the Innu, the Cree, the Chukchi, the Kutchin and the Dorset who they are thought to have wiped out, as well as other Inuit tribes. It is said that “between these Netsilingmiut and other Eskimo groups in former times there was continual war”. Cree oral history tells us that the Inuit came down from the arctic frequently to attack villages and take slaves. The Maasai were also feared as warriors, having fought the Chagga, the Taveta, the Nandi and the Taita. Their warlike mentality allowed them to dominate many rival Bantu-speaking people despite their relatively low numbers and be feared by all their neighbors except the equally warlike Nandi. This forced many people, even more numerous ones such as the Kikuyu, to hide away in secluded places like mountains and forests, where the natural protections defended them against the Maasai. They are also recorded to have fought as mercenaries for powerful Chagga chieftains. Physique: The Inuit are relatively short compared to other people, with an average height of 162cm. However, they are heavier than most comparatively to their height, mainly because of a very stocky build granted to them by the harsh environment. They could wait for hours above seal holes, walk many kilometers through the thick snow, and fought prey like polar bears and wolves. Their diet was heavily meat based because of the environment, but they had a good supply of vitamins thanks to their fermenting techniques and consumption of whale blubber. The Maasai, on the opposite end of the spectrum, are very tall and lean, usually being above 180 cm tall. They are, however, quite slim for their size and are lighter than other people of the same height. This did not impede their stamina, however, and they could run after prey like antelopes, jump and dance for hours during rituals and fight against lions and hyenas. Their diet also mostly consisted of meat, but also of goat and cattle milk, vitamin-rich acacia soup and blood. Ruthlessness: Contrarily to a common myth that Inuit were peaceful, the Arctic people were very warlike, with tales of their savagery being told to this day by their Cree rivals, who recount the story of them having cut the breasts of women and thrown the glands into a river, killing so many that the water turned white. Other stories include them drinking their enemies’ blood and making their children drink it so they acquire a taste for it. These stories are obviously exaggerated, but it goes to show how feared the Inuit were by their enemies. The Maasai were also feared and ruthless raiders, infamous for their cattle raids against other Bantu-speaking people. The Chagga to this day tell the stories of their war against the Maasai, in which the Maasai would abduct cattle and women away without mercy. They dominated much of East Africa and drove many people towards the safer but less hospitable mountains. Tactics: The Inuit preferred night attacks over open battles, attacking when all enemy warriors were gathered for a meeting in the chieftain’s tent, of which they would block the exits and set ablaze. Then, they would wait near the exits of the underground tunnels and kill the escaping men, blinded and suffocated by the smoke. If this was impossible, they would form battle lines and fire arrows or throw harpoons and spears at each other, with elite “Strong Men” wielding large clubs to bat projectiles away and large mantlet-like shields of rawhide protecting the warriors. Maasai warriors fought in hit and run tactics common throughout Africa. They would attack a settlement in an ambush, taking the warriors by surprise and quickly cause as much damage to the locals as possible before darting off with cattle. This was helped by their large, broad-bladed spears, which were deadlier than the thinner, smaller spears of their rivals. Their warriors were classed by age and organized into war groups. When European colonialism threatened them, they relied on guerilla warfare against the invaders. Tracking:The Inuit's most impressive quarry when hunting is the polar bear which they can tell the carnivore's age, sex, and height just from their tracks. They would look for Arctic fox urine or tracks to lead them to buried or recently dead Caribou meat or make traps like urine filled snow pits to lure them towards certain death once they became stuck. The Raiders were able to track and trap various creatures with equal effectiveness and this was a common attribute for their society. The Maasai are well-known for killing lions but developed impressive tracking skills to hunt them down. They can look at signs like the big cat's paw prints or listening for calls of carnivorous birds and then figure out what happened several hours before he arrived and where it was going to find the beast. This was a skill that the best warriors either mastered or used to get to the top of the ranks and it was a common secondary method of acquiring that status in their society. Notes Voting ends on February 11th. Votes need edges or two paragraphs and decent grammar to count. The fight takes place in a temperate deciduous forest (thanks to Leolab for the idea) between two groups of five men who start off in different locations and must hunt each other down. Special thanks to User:Kazanshin for helping me make this blog. Category:Blog posts